999 call handler's voice cloned by AI as part of Russian disinformation campaign
Speaking to the BBC as part of a BBC Verify investigation released on Thursday (31 July), emergency medical advisor Aaron said he was shocked when he found out his voice was being used as part of a campaign designed to spread fear ahead of Poland 's presidential election in May.
'I don't think my friends or family would be able to tell it's fake. I think they probably would have believed it's real.'
His voice was taken from a video posted by the North West Ambulance Service which featured Aaron discussing emergency services available during the Easter holidays.
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Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Reeves is cynically squeezing us dry– without raising taxes
The Chancellor has not had much luck with some of her tax rises. Rachel Reeves was expecting to raise up to £3.2bn each year, or around £12.7bn in this parliament, with the scrapping of non-dom status – a policy announced by her Conservative predecessor Jeremy Hunt and then ramped up by Labour. She is heading for disappointment. With the exodus of more than 10,000 millionaires from the UK last year and an expected 16,000 this year, Reeves has been warned that the move may in fact reduce rather than increase tax receipts. Speculation is thus rife that the measures may be further watered down; there has already been some initial tweaking and softening earlier this year. The imposition of VAT on school fees is likewise now widely expected to raise less than the predicted £1.7bn by 2030, due to more than expected numbers of children transferring to the state sector and becoming a burden on education budgets. The spate of independent school closures – not just as a result of the VAT change but also employer National Insurance rises, the loss of business rate relief for schools with charitable status and the gamut of extra regulation affecting all businesses – will inevitably make this worse. But, ironically, Reeves may have been rather more adept at boosting Treasury revenue with some of the tax measures she did not actually implement. Before last year's Halloween Budget there was much speculation that rates of capital gains tax (CGT) would be brought into line with those for income tax. This would have meant that higher-rate taxpayers earning over £50,270 would have had to pay 40pc instead of 24pc on taxable property gains and 20pc on other assets. Additional rate taxpayers, earning over £125,140, even worried they might be faced with a full 45pc levy on any uplift. The fear that these rates would be aligned was an entirely rational one. The great Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson in his 1988 Budget had done just that – although the medicine that year was very much sweetened by the scrapping of all income tax rates over 40pc at the same time. Labour's manifesto, while pledging not to raise the rates of income tax or employee National Insurance, was silent about CGT. And after winning the election, Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves never tired of talking up a £22bn 'black hole' the Tories had allegedly left them. This would soon need filling – and Reeves did nothing to dampen down speculation that CGT rises and changes to the pension regime would be how she would achieve at least part of this. In the event, the Chancellor took less drastic action. She raised the rate of CGT for non-property gains from 10pc to 18pc for basic-rate taxpayers and 20pc to 24pc for those on the higher and additional rates. In other words, she aligned the rates for different asset classes to the one already levied on property. But the speculation alone did pay dividends for Reeves. In October last year, the month running up to the Budget, CGT receipts on residential property disposals was £408m – more than double that of most other months in the last tax year. Revenue from CGT is notoriously volatile when compared to other taxes. In the 2023-24 tax year, for example, CGT liabilities were 18pc down from the previous year. But the surge in the run-up to the Budget was vast. The best explanation for the Treasury's October windfall is that residential landlords sold up in advance of a clobbering that did not materialise. As Chris Etherington, of accountants RSM, has noted: 'It is clear that anticipation of CGT changes can distort taxpayer behaviour... the Chancellor benefitted from an inadvertent windfall... Reeves does not necessarily need to increase CGT rates to raise revenues. It's potentially possible to maximise CGT receipts by simply saying very little on the subject.' The Chancellor will insist that she cannot speculate about what moves she will be making in future Budgets – due to such information having an impact on the markets. But that argument does not quite wash. She is more than happy to rule out some fiscal moves, such as raising the rate of income tax. So why not others? Is it too cynical to suggest that Reeves has found her own third way? She can benefit from increased inflows without actually raising taxes. But such tactics are far from victimless – the uncertainty and disruption caused comes at a high price. Additionally, it makes it much more difficult for people to plan for the future and may make them take unnecessary decisions that they will live to regret. In other circumstances, allowing speculation to rip may in fact hurt Treasury coffers. Not closing down current Labour Party debates about a wealth tax will surely mean more wealthy people leaving the UK in anticipation of such a move. This will not only hurt our economy but also mean lower tax yields, resulting in less money for public services.
BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
Mum's 'brutal' murder in her own home still a mystery 20 years on
The family of a mother who was shot in her home 20 years ago have renewed their appeals for anyone with information to come Hargreaves, 22, was asleep on the sofa when three men burst into her home in Walton, Liverpool, on 3 August 2005 and killed murderers then set fire to the home on Lambourne Road, with Ms Hargreaves' partner and two-year-old daughter, who were upstairs, having to escape through a arrested 21 people as part of their investigations, but no-one has been convicted. Two decades on, her family released a previously unshared photograph of the mother-of-three, taken at said: "Over the past 20 years, people will have talked with family and friends."A number of people were contacted by males using a phone that was stolen, along with a vehicle used in Lucy's murder."The people who received those calls, along with others, could have information which could be crucial in achieving justice for Lucy, her parents, sister, children and all her extended family and friends."We appeal directly to them to please come forward. "Now is the time." 'Time is no barrier' A comprehensive review into her murder launched by Merseyside Police two years ago is still Rubbery, head of the Serious Case Review Unit, said: "It is now 20 years since Lucy was taken from her family in the most brutal of circumstances."After carrying out the killing, the offenders ignored the cries of a toddler upstairs as they poured petrol around the house and set fire to it."Their callous and reckless actions could have claimed the lives of two more people that night, had they not escaped the flames by jumping from a window upstairs."We are as determined as ever to get justice for Lucy, whose death robbed her family of a loving mother and daughter."As with any unsolved murder, time is no barrier to our pursuit of justice for Lucy and we appeal to anyone with any information, no matter how small it may seem, to contact us."Detectives are continuing to appeal for anyone with information about a gold Lexus car, believed to have been dumped shortly after the shooting on Richard Kelly Drive, Clubmoor, by a number of men who then ran in the direction of Normandale previously said they wanted to speak to Kevin Thomas Parle, who was believed to be living abroad, and was also wanted in connection with the murder of Liam Kelly, 16, who was shot in the early hours of 19 June 2004 in Dingle, Liverpool. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Frustration' in Hull communities remain a year on from UK riots
A year on from the UK riots and people in Hull, where a hotel housing asylum seekers was targeted, believe frustration and tension still continue in the violence erupted on 3 August - fuelled by misinformation - following the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a dance class in Southport, fear and vexation gripped Royal Hotel on Ferensway was attacked after an anti-immigration protest in the city centre rapidly turned vicious with bins and vehicles being set on fire and high street shops looted - the worst unrest seen in than two miles away from this once grand looking building is The Malt Shovel pub on Anlaby Road, where Paul Renton is sipping his pint outside on the terrace under the midday sun."I'm scared for my grand kids," he said. "I don't blame the people for doing stuff like that. It's getting worse and worse now. It's all about the illegals." Mr Renton was on a trip to Bridlington when missiles were thrown at the hotel and the adjacent train station, which was forced to shut with workers barricading themselves in to prevent rioters surging onto the concourse and platforms."All the trains got cancelled and it cost us a lot of money to get back," said the Mr Renton does not condone the violence, he believes "British people have had enough" of those arriving on smalls boats from France and being housed in is one of the most divisive issues in the than 25,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel since the start of the year, according to the Home is the first time the 25,000 threshold has been reached since records began in 2018. Feelings of frustration and anger centred on immigration housing have remained high in parts of Hull, though some show empathy and numbers of asylum seekers in UK hotels had been increasing since 2020, and reached a peak of more than 50,000 in 2023. In March 2025, the asylum hotel population stood at 32, previously said the government wanted to end the use of hotels by 2029 and was trying to move people into cheaper types of Renton is not alone in his views, the same are echoed by other pubgoers. George Ketley watched disturbing scenes of the hostility and rage unfold in his home city via TV. Like Mr Renton he condemns the violence, but said at its core was the issue of asylum accommodation."It's just disgusting when we - working people - can't get a house and they're putting them in hotels. It's wrong."Hull City Council leader Mike Ross said he understood the "frustrations" over the Royal Hotel housing asylum seekers "for quite some time" and had recently written to the government requesting the hotel stop being used."They're in the process of closing down hotels across the country. We think this [Royal Hotel] should be one that closes now." Sitting on a nearby table outside the same pub terrace is former serviceman Jodie and his friend serving his country, Jodie "got into a bad place" and spent time in jail. A single parent, his life descended into further chaos when he became homeless with his six-year-old son in said he sympathised with the rioters, having felt let down by the government due to the lack of support for him and his son when they "struggled" with homelessness."I'm not going to lie, I might have been there if it weren't for my little boy."[I've] not had one bit of help off any kind of government."His friend Matt maintains he is "not a racist", before saying: "I think the frustration is still there."These guys are coming over here... living for free."When I work for myself, I'm paying my taxes and going out every day on the roof. That's the bit that gets me."However, he believes prison was justified for some rioters but "the actual lengths [were] absurd". According to Humberside Police, there have been 78 convictions relating to the disorder and a further nine adults who are charged but yet to be "dealt with by the courts".While that might provide some comfort to those affected by the rioting, others still feel they are looking over their Seihili is a support worker at Welcome House, which offers help and support to asylum seekers and said attitudes had changed for the better despite the air of negativity towards migrants, many of whom were fleeing warzones or "dangerous situations"."Some people are nice, they help. They give us opportunity. But some people say 'go back to your country'."I feel like they don't like me and I'm scared."They don't know that we work hard, pay council tax, we pay for everything. They think that we came here just to take the money and the benefit from the government." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
